Preseason schedule is here

The Jets open the 2013 preseason on the road against the Lions, their only game away from MetLife Stadium this summer.

The full preseason schedule was announced Thursday by the NFL. The dates and times of the Jets' games still haven't been posted, but here's the lineup of games:

Week 1 (Aug. 8-11) -- at Lions

Week 2 (Aug. 15-19) -- Jaguars

Week 3 (Aug. 22-25) -- at Giants

Week 4 (Aug. 29-30) -- Eagles

Quick takeaway: For the Jets, the main storyline will be the quarterback competition, with Mark Sanchez and David Garrard the leading candidates. The schedule sets up an interesting subplot: If Garrard gets the start in Week 2, he'll face his old team in what would be an emotional game. He was one of the faces of the Jacksonville franchise, the starting quarterback from 2006 through the 2011 preseason, when he was unceremoniously dumped.

It's purely guesswork at this point as to how Rex Ryan will manage the competition, but you'd think he'd give Sanchez and Garrard at least one start before settling on a starter for the third preseason game, when the regulars play about three quarters. Ryan doesn't play his regulars in the fourth game. It could be cumbersome if a third candidate -- Greg McElroy -- is in the mix. In terms of the degree of difficulty, a start in Detroit would be harder for a quarterback than facing the benign Jaguars defense at MetLife ... Another angle: The Jets will face two new coaches for the first time -- Gus Bradley (Jaguars) and Chip Kelly (Eagles).